


It Had To Be You

by LivingTheUpgrade



Category: Beetlejuice the musical - Fandom
Genre: F/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingTheUpgrade/pseuds/LivingTheUpgrade
Summary: What if Beetlejuice followed Lydia into the Netherworld instead of Charles? Will they find her mom? And what happens when the wedding comes to a close and Beetlejuice decides to stay with his not really underaged bride?Written for another user.
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice/Lydia Deetz, Charles Deetz/Delia Deetz
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. The Netherworld

"Classic bait and switch!" I yell before going through the door, I run till I see a woman with bright red hair and a clipboard standing with a group of various people ahead of me.

"Lydia!' I hear my name yelled, I turn and see Beetlejuice running towards me.

He stops in front of me and places a gentle hand on my arm, I bring my eyes down to my arm where his hand rest then up to meet his, his hand unmoving and oddly relaxing against me.

"We have to go back, if they find out that you're here they will kill you." He says, slight panic present in his voice, I look up at him, my eyes holding his gaze. 

"I have to find her" I say standing my ground, he frowns slightly, taking his hand off my arm and running it through his hair as it shifts colors.

"Well then, let's go find her." He says holding out his hand, I glance at it before intertwining my fingers with his, in the blink of an eye it's nighttime and we're on a cobblestone street outside of what looks to be an abandoned shop.

"Three days, if we don't find her we leave this place." He says, a pair of skeletons hardly notice us as they walk past us, immersed in a conversation about a living girl on the loose.

I catch a glimpse of two police uniformed corpses coming towards us when Beetlejuice pulls me into the alleyway closest to us and presses my back against the brick building, a few moments pass before I take the risk and let go of his hand, wrapping my arms around his neck, he turns his head to look at me, our eyes meet and we freeze.

I feel a whirlwind of emotions as I look into his now glowing amber eyes, I crash my lips onto his, his hands move to either side of my head, an attempt to pin me there, I hear voices getting closer and then a flashlight being shined onto us irritates my eyes.

"I'm not sharing." Beetlejuice calls out to them, pulling away to look at the two officers, who in turn continue to walk faster down the street. Beetlejuice backs away from me and looks out at the street.

"Quick thinking Lyds, I'm surprised I didn't think of that." He says, I pull him down and kiss him again to prove it wasn't just an act for the police, I push him against the wall to show that I also have some control over him, his hands move over my body before settling on my hips, picking me up and turning us so that my back is pressed to the wall, proving that no matter how much control I have over him mentally he will always have the physical advantage.

As I wrap my legs around him and lean in closer, his lips trail down my jaw to my neck, leaving bites and marks down my throat, my fingers loosen their grip on his tangled hair as I pull away and attempt to catch my breath.

"Mom, we need to find mom. Then we can have your sham of a wedding." I say, he pulls away, shock written on his face as he nods in agreement. 

I straighten out my dress as he sets me down, he grabs my hand and starts guiding me out of the alley, we walk down the street and into a small tailors shop.

"Ginger!" He calls out as we make our way to the back of the shop.

"Beetlejuice? I thought you were banished to the world of the living." A small voice says from somewhere to my right, I look around and see nothing but a beautiful spider hanging from the ceiling.

"Who is this lovely young lady?" The spider says, causing me to gasp in surprise, I give it a small smile and wave.

"I'm Lydia Deetz, soon to be Shoggoth" I say, offering a finger for her to shake which she does.

"My beautiful mortal bride!" He exclaims with a smile, I nudge him softly and give him an unamused stare.

"What babes? I'm not joking. You are mortal and you are beautiful, you're also turning me into a sap." He says, the tips of his hair turning a shade of red.

"Maybe that will do you some good Beetlejuice." Ginger says, dropping down to the stack of books upon the desk next to me.

"He keeps his reputation to the rest of the world but, not with me." I say proudly.

"You're definitely a good match, I'm happy for you Beetlejuice. You need someone who can calm your crazy. What are you doing here though? I'm sure it's not for dropping off wedding invitations." She says.

"We're looking for her mom, Emily Deetz, wanted to know if you heard anything about her," he says coolly.

"Emily Deetz, she lives over on Bloodspoint Road in the red house with purple shutters." I smile excitedly and pull him down by his tie, crashing our lips together, his surprise evident in the movement of his arms.

"Thank you Ginger!" I say as Beetlejuice leads me toward the exit, we go out into the cold street and I let him guide me down streets until we stop in front of a large red three story house with purple shutters, we walk up to the door and knock.

A moment passes and the door creaks open, a vaguely familiar old woman peaks out at us and we wait in silence.

"What brings you here?" She croaks out.

"Looking for a miss Emily Deetz." Beetlejuice says politely in response.

"She was going to go to Brinkadoom, was fascinated by it. Said she was going to head in tomorrow night" She says, no emotion present in her voice.

"Thank you" I say as she gives us a nod before closing the door, I stifle a yawn, sleep threatening to take over.

"Let's rest then go after her tomorrow, I'll just juice us right outside of Brinkadoom." He says, I place a hand on his forearm.

"We just started Beej, I can't give up." I say stubbornly.

"We can after you get sleep, I promise we're not giving up we just need a break we've been running around for hours." He says picking me up bridal and juicing us to a room that looks almost empty except for a wardrobe, a dresser, and a bed with a bench at the end of it.

He lays me down on the bed and pulls the covers over me, the lights go out minus a candle flickering gently on the dresser.

"Beetlejuice, come to bed." I say holding my hand out for him, his cold almost, hesitant hand slips into mine slowly, he joins me on the bed.

"Is this how our marriage is going to go? You too afraid to touch me and me sleeping alone?" I say, trying to provoke him into doing or even just saying something.

His cold lips meet mine gently, his free hand tangling in my hair, my free hand goes to his hair and pulls gently as it weaves through his messy locks.

As the need for air becomes more important than the feel of him against me, I pull back slightly, pressing my forehead against his as I catch my breath.

"Not afraid, just waiting till a good time and when you're supposed ta be sleeping didn't seem like a good time." He says, I lay my head on his chest, wrapping an arm around him, and placing a possessive leg over his.

"Glad you're getting comfortable." I move closer to him and his strong arms wrap around.

"Night Beej" I say falling asleep almost immediately.

"Night Lyds" his voice gently answers before everything goes black.

The light in the room makes me groan as my eyes open, I lift my head from where it rested.

"Good morning" I say as I make eye contact with Beetlejuice, I realize that I have shifted to be on top of him, legs straddling his hips and my arms wrapped around his neck "Uh, sorry Beej".

"I'm not complaining, in fact I believe I could get used to it" he says with a smirk, I sit up and look down at him, his hands come up to steady me on him.

"Lets go! We have to get her before she goes into that town." I say jumping up from the bed, he gets up slowly and grabs my hand and we're standing in front of a welcome sign that reads: Welcome to Brinkadoom.

A table with two chairs appears to my right with various foods on it, Beetlejuice sits at the down and gestures for me to join him.

"If we're going to wait for her than you better eat something." He says.

"Is this... affection you're showing?" I ask, grabbing a pastry as I sit across from him at the small table. I raise an eyebrow at him and he gives me a pointed look.

"No, it's concern and it feels terrible." He says giving me a small smile.

"You know for a demon, you're not scary." I blurt out.

He gasps and gives me an offended look before pouting.

"Oh, Beetlejuice. Stop pouting" I say "is there only this one entrance?" 

"Yeah, limited access, only one way in and out. Even I couldn't find a loophole out of there" he says, making me wonder what it was like in there.

"So, what? We just sit here till she shows up?" I say, he shrugs.

"I don't see anything else we could do till she shows up." He says with a mischievous glint in his eyes, I smirk at him, our eyes locking on each other's.

"Yeah, absolutely nothing." I say, taking a strawberry off of one of the many pastries and taking a bite of it.

"Okay, you little tease. Two can play this game" He says leaning closer to me, chin propped up by his hand.

"Me? A tease?" I ask innocently, licking the strawberry juice that has dripped down my pinky.

He lunges over the table and solidly plants his lips on mine, once I break away for air I laugh.

"You lost, so easily." I say

"This is just the start, we'll see who's winning in the end." He says, leaning back in his chair.

"Hopefully both of us." I say, looking towards the entrance, I see a person approaching and stand up.

"Mom?!" I call out to them.


	2. Brinkadoom

Her head snaps up from the ground when she hears my voice, within seconds she's in front of me, hugging me tightly.

"Lydia? You're not-? Are you?" She says, stepping back and examining me.

"No, no. I'm not dead, this is my round trip ticket in and out of the Netherworld, Beetlejuice." I say, gesturing to him with a wide smile.

"Is that all I am to you babes? A shiny gold ticket to hell?" Beetlejuice says standing next to me, mom looks at us in slight confusion but, also what looks to be understanding.

"Of course not. You are also my creepy old guy" I say.

"Oh yeah and soon to be husband" he says.

"Mom, why are you going to Brinkadoom?" I say, changing the subject before I have to explain the last six months that have lead me to accepting his proposal.

"I'll explain after Beetlejuice explains what he just said." She says, making me sigh in defeat.

"Oh, well let me tell you from the beginning. I met Lyds when she was gonna jump off the roof and impale herself on a birdbath cause your husband and his new chick were trying to make Lyds here forget about ya and were ignoring her and then instead of her saying my name right then to solve her problem she got the other two dead people in the house to help her ruin Chuck's upcoming party and pushed me off the roof which by the way was hot as hell, I do like a strong female lead. Anyway, at the big party Chuck was having, the ghosts possessed the guests and made them sing and dance which made them actually want to have the ghosts there and make people pay to see them so, Lyds said my name and I scared them out and we wreaked havoc for a few days, then I gave her the handbook and tricked her into almost exorcising one of the ghosts because I felt abandoned and Chuck and Danica came back and tried to exorcise me so, I stepped in and proposed so I could be alive and well, not alone anymore and she tricked me by jumping into hell so, I followed her and we went to find you so, here we are engaged to be married!" he says, animatedly summarizing the last week.

Mom gives a look of slight surprise then a smile.

"Oh Lydia! Wait how old are you? How old is he?" She questions me, trying to grasp all that Beetlejuice just threw at her.

"I'm eighteen mom and he's um.. older?" I say, unsure of his exact age.

"Living age or dead age? Living about twenty nine, dead about a few millennia" he says.

"Honey, is this a smart decision or an impulse decision?" She says softly, giving my hand a light squeeze.

"Both! Well, it's kind of a quid pro quo" Beetlejuice exclaims excitedly.

"I could be put to death for coming here while still alive. Beetlejuice wants to be alive, also marrying him is probably the best decision I've made in the last 24 hours." I say.

"Your father is going to have a heart attack" She says with a small laugh.

"That's the least he'll get out of this." Beetlejuice says.

"I'm going in there to take pictures, sleeping for a hundred years sounds nice too" She says while holding up a camera.

"Mom, you can't!" I yell, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Why not? If I go in I'm going to come back out tomorrow, if I don't then we'll see each other again anyway." Emily says.

"We'll give you till morning then if you're not out I'm going in." Beetlejuice says, I hit him with my elbow.

"We, we are going in" he says, correcting himself.

"Fine, treat her well or I will make you very unhappy. Welcome to the family... son" she says to Beetlejuice, giving him a hug and kiss on the forehead, then turning to me and giving me a hug.

"I love you so much, I just hope you're happy and that your father is moving on and being happy. Just remember this is your life, don't live it to someone else's plan Lydia." She gives me a kiss on the forehead then walks into the town. I turn to Beetlejuice who has his mouth open and his hands on his cheeks in almost childish excitement and surprise.

"Beej?" I say, he snaps out of it and looks down at me.

"Yeah babes?" He says.

"Nothing" I say, interlocking our fingers and resting my head against his shoulder, I shut my eyes and let out a sigh.

"This is nice," I admit.

"What will you do if she doesn't come out?" He says.

"I'll be disappointed but, still relieved to know she's here and alright." I say.

His arms wrap around me slowly, I bring mine around him and bury my head into his suit jacket.

"It's getting dark, you should try to sleep," he says, laying me back into a bed that wasn't there before.

"Okay, keep watch please." I say, getting comfortable.

"I will babes" he reassures me before I fall asleep, I toss and turn half the night but wake up feeling strangely well rested.

"Morning sleeping beauty" Beetlejuice says from the table, as soon as I stand the bed disappears, I go to the table and sit across from him, he offers me a glass filled with what looks to be water and I accept it with a brief thank you.

The first sip reassures me that it is in fact water and I down the glass, he then hands me a croissant.

"Who said you were a monster, you're definitely a sap." I say taking a bite.

"Only for you my cursed bride." He says with a genuine smile.

"Careful, I might fall in love with you" I say, taking another bite.

"Really?!" He says, his voice hopeful and excited, I freeze and realize what I just said.

"Of course, that's what you've wanted this entire time." I say, mad at myself for letting the detail of him wanting a "green card" slip my mind, I keep my eyes focused on the entrance and try not to pay attention to any other movement.

His hands caress my face, turning my head to face him gently, he's on his knees next to my chair.

"Lydia, this isn't a game anymore and you know it, that's why you're scared." He says softly.

"Not scared, just cautious. You are a con man after all." I say trying to convince myself as I lean into his deathly cool touch and let out a contented sigh.

"Let's go find your mom." He says, pulling away from me slowly, I stand up and walk to where he is, grabbing his hand before we begin our walk into the town.

"You do know how to get out of here, right?" I ask as we walk through the town, passing abandoned buildings and empty parks.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have lead ya in if I didn't." We turn left at a sign that says: cemetery.

"Mom!" I yell, not seeing any movement, we stroll through the hundreds of headstones and find nothing tying to her. We wander through the town for hours without a single sign that she was ever there.

"We have two hours till this place is no longer here Lydia, it takes about that long to get out from where we're at now, we have to go" He says, I hesitantly follow him, looking around for my mom as we go.

"We're here" He says as we reach a statue of a lion with three doors behind it.

"Riddle me this: what has a neck but no head?" The statue says in a booming voice.

"A bottle" I blurt out, the middle door opens and Beetlejuice pulls me to it.

"But, mom-" I say looking back almost expecting to see her standing there only to be greeted by an empty trail.

"In less than three minutes we're going to be stuck here, I know you miss your mom but, I can't lose you." Beetlejuice says from the other side of the door, he puts his hand out to me and I grab it. 

He pulls me to him, my momentum causing him to fall back, taking me with him.

"Beetlejuice!" I exclaim as I land roughly on top of him.

"I love you" He says abruptly, as if he didn't mean to.

"What?!" I say in confusion and disbelief as we stand up.

I brush off my dress and he grabs my wrist gently, the other hand caressing my neck, as he kisses me passionately.

"I love you" His voice comes out as breathless, even though I'm not sure he needs to breathe. I turn back to the doorway and see it closing, the disappointment present but, not overwhelming like I thought it would be.

"We have a wedding to attend" I say, turning to him with a smile. He snaps his fingers and I'm in a beautiful red wedding dress with lace and a bow in the front and a veil, while he is in a matching red three piece suit with a bow tie. 

He offers me his arm as he smiles, I take it and a door appears before us, he twists the knob and we enter the living room as we cross the threshold.


	3. The Wedding

"You were gone for two weeks! Where the hell did you go?!" Dad shouts as we enter the room.

"Hell and back" I say with a smile as Beetlejuice stands next to me quietly, the Maitland's and Delia walk into the room talking about yoga and I have to repress the urge to gag.

"Lydia?!" They exclaim in unison, I wave at them casually before turning back to my father.

"What are you doing here?" Barbara spits out at Beetlejuice.

"I'm here for our wedding!" he says, holding me closer, I resist the urge to roll my eyes at him.

Barbara gags at his words and steps back as if to distance herself as far from him as she possibly can.

"Any special preparations beforehand?" My dad asks, Beetlejuice snaps his fingers and three skeletons appear out of nowhere.

"No, just this." Beetlejuice says, one skeleton comes up to us with a book in its boney hands.

"Is everyone ready to proceed?" The skeleton asks, I nod, my mind made up and determined.

"Yes" my dad says, earning the complacency of Adam and Barbara, Delia obviously just excited to be here.

I don't pay attention to the skeleton's words, thoughts taking over me.

"Do you Beetlejuice Shoggoth take Lydia Deetz as your lawfully wedded wife?" 

"I do" He says without hesitation.

"And do you Lydia Deetz take Beet-" 

"I do" I say, cutting him off, out of impatience or excitement.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife you may kiss the bride."

Beetlejuice takes a step forward and pulls the sheer fabric of my veil up and over my head, my eyes quickly adjusting back to normal and I look up at him. When a few moments pass and he hasn't moved, I pull him down by his bow tie and kiss him.

I hear Delia squeal with joy and the collective gasps of shock and horror from my father and the Maitland's which encourage Beetlejuice and I to make the moment last longer than necessary, border-lining on inappropriately long.

When I pull away I turn to face them, dad and Adam have their mouths open in shock and disgust, Barbara looking slightly intrigued but also disgusted, and Delia looking positively excited.

"Are those birds?" Beetlejuice says in surprise, he goes on for a few minutes about the emotions of living and the sounds and feelings. My dad comes up behind him and pats him on the back, congratulating him, I tune in knowing that my dad hates Beetlejuice and would never congratulate him for marrying his only daughter.

"Beej, can I talk to you?" I ask, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the kitchen away from the others.

"Don't trust him, he's up to something." I say, trying to warn him, nothing good can come from my father's fake congratulations and praises.

"I know babes, I'll be fine." He kisses my cheek, then my jaw, his weirdly warm lips trailing down my neck, leaving dark marks and teeth impressions as they move down to my collarbone, my head tilting back as he focuses his attention on one spot.

"Beetlejuice" His name comes out as a sigh.

I tangle my fingers in his hair and bring his head up, our lips meet and his hands go to my hips, I trail my lips down to his neck wanting to mark him as mine like he's done to me. When I feel satisfied with my work he has a few well sized hickeys with teeth marks to go with them.

"Let's go back in there" I say regretfully, not looking forward to it, we walk back into the room and I immediately notice the absence of my father.

"Where did dad go?" I ask the room, Delia looks at the ground and shrugs, the Maitland's say they don't know where he went.

"Let's go upstairs" I say to Beetlejuice, taking his hand and guiding him to the stairs. I step onto the landing and Beetlejuice freezes, the sound of metal cutting through flesh fills the silence.


	4. The Wedding Night

"That feels important." Beetlejuice says, pulling out the metal shaft from his chest, falling to his knees.

"Beetlejuice!" I scream, falling to my knees next to him, I look up and my eyes meet my fathers, if looks could kill I would want it to be this one, the Maitland's knock on the wall and a door opens up.

"Netherworld" Beetlejuice says standing up and walking down the stairs, I grab his arm to stop him but my father pulls me away, the door shuts behind him and I turn on my father.

"Why?!" I yell, grabbing the lapels of his tuxedo, pulling him closer to me as an attempt to intimidate him.

"He was a monster, pumpkin." He says, I stop pulling on him and look at him intensely.

"He didn't do anything that I didn't do, does that make me a monster?" I say.

He looks at me with what I've determined as pity and it makes the anger in me reach a new height, the door he went through opens up and a woman dressed in red with white hair walks in followed by Beetlejuice who is still in his wedding attire.

"Sorry to ruin the celebration. Beetlejuice is going to be staying here till he can control himself, since you are his wife, he is under your supervision. If he is handled I will overlook the trespassing into the Netherworld. If he isn't, you are sentenced to death and you will both be stuck in this house for eternity." The woman says practically throwing Beetlejuice at me, I grab his arm and move him behind me as if protecting him from her.

"And is he a ghost now, or?" I ask, wondering what killing him accomplished.

"He's a demon, being alive for a few minutes won't change that" She says, blowing smoke from her cigarette at me.

I nod and move past her, dragging Beetlejuice with me.

"Bye mom." Beetlejuice murmurs as we pass her, I lead him upstairs and into my bedroom, shutting the door behind us.

After a couple silent moments of standing in front of him I toss my veil onto the vanity, unbuttoning his red velvet waistcoat and letting it drop to the floor as I untie his bow tie, pulling it off and adding it to the growing pile of clothing.

"Lydia are y-" I cut off his sentence with a kiss as I remove his suspenders.

I untuck his shirt and unbutton it, I push it off his shoulders and let it land in the blood colored pool of clothing.

"First we shower" I say, pulling at his belt, the metal of the buckle hitting the floor filling the silence.

"And then?" He says as I turn away from him, his cold, deft fingers slowly pull the zipper of my dress down, I pull the sleeves off and turn back to him, the dress slips to the ground in a pool at my feet, his gaze roams down my body, from my black lace bra to the matching panties.

"You are trying to kill me" he says, placing his hands on my hips.

"You're already dead" I say, walking into the conjoining bathroom and turning the shower on, I strip myself of my underwear and get in the shower, hot water comforting my tense muscles, the shower curtain moves and Beetlejuice steps in almost hesitantly.

"Hey babes" he says, I turn to face him, his multicolored hair dripping and skin slick with water, giving him a more living glow.

"This is your best look yet." I say, grabbing the bottle of shampoo and squeezing some into my palm, I massage it through my scalp and rinse it out.

"I gots to say, it's a really good look for you too" he says, I offer him the bottle which he takes, he looks down at it and squeezes some into his palm.

"Okay, okay. That's enough" I say taking the bottle from him and looking at how much he has on his palms.

"Trust me babes, it's not going to waste." He says plopping it onto his head and lathering it through his locks.

"I know" I say, rinsing the conditioner out of my hair and beginning to wash my body, I take the loofah and run it down his chest, spreading suds across the pale flesh.

"Okay, I could get used to this." He says, leaning into my touch, I scrub the dirt and grime off his body, he snaps his fingers and he looks almost alive. I turn the water off and step out onto the rug, cold air hitting my body, as I grab for a towel I hear Beetlejuice snap and in an instant I'm dry.

"Thanks." I say, giving him a smile, a hand grabbing his and dragging him into the bedroom. I make him sit down on the bed and put my hands on his shoulders, leaning down and giving him a kiss, he pulls me onto his lap, my legs straddling his hips.

"I'm typically on top but, I am loving this" he says.

"Who said I would have let this go any other way." I say as he moves us further onto the bed, I adjust myself over him and feel him pressing into me, I bring myself further onto him and moan softly as he fills me.

The pain people talk about experiencing their first time missing, I let myself adjust before I move slowly up and down him, not quite sure if I'm doing it right. His reassuring and confident hands on my hips, steadying me with a firm hold, his hips moving up to meet mine, increasing the pace.

"Beetlejuice" I moan his name as he trails a cold hand up my body lightly, I lean down, our lips battling for dominance, my hands tangle in his hair and pull causing him to moan into the kiss. He pulls away and kisses my neck, licking and biting as he makes his way down.

"Beetlejuice" I moan his name as he takes one breast in his mouth while massaging the other with his hand.

"One more time and I'm gone, we don't want that do we?" he says against my skin.

"No, we don't." I say, pulling his hair harder, feeling like I'm about to come undone at any moment.

"I'm going to.. Ah! Beetlejuice!" I scream as I come completely undone on top of him, my ears liking the way my name sounds coming from him as he follows quickly behind. I separate from him and lay my head on his chest, wrapping my arms around him and closing my eyes.

"I love you" I say, knowing that I mean it.

"What a relief cause, you're stuck with me for an eternity anyway." He says, wrapping his arms around me and bringing the blankets up and over us. "Love you too Lyds" he says, bringing me closer to him.


	5. Stage three: Bargaining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry about any and all spelling, grammar errors, and/or plot holes, I meant to have a new chapter posted a lot sooner, but I got delayed and distracted.

I wake to the sound of raising voices down the hall and slip out of bed, Beetlejuice jumps a little, but remains in bed.  
"I'll be back." I say as I put on a pair of underwear and shorts then grab his red shirt off the floor and button it up.  
I quietly make my way down the hall, noticing the light coming from under my father's door, Adam's voice carries from the closed door.  
My hand rests on the knob and I turn it, they're spread around the room, each one looking a different level of distraught.  
"What's going on here?" I ask, staying in the doorway, they look at me and a look of recognition passes over their faces as they realize what I'm wearing.  
"That monster didn't do anything to you, did he?!" My father yells.  
"Of course not." I say sarcastically, giving him an innocent smile.  
"Lydia, this is not a joke. We are trying to protect you" he replies.  
I lean against the doorframe and look at him with a bored expression.  
"You know, he jumped into hell for me, even if it meant he had to see his mom or potentially getting trapped there again, and then he helped me find mom when no one else would help me. And when he thought I wasn't leaving with him, he actually opened up, hell he accidentally said that he loved me and that's when I realized, maybe I love him too" I say with a slight shrug.  
"Lydia, this isn't love" Barbara says softly.  
"How would you know? Because it's different than yours? He's given me everything I've ever wanted, even what I didn't know I needed and more. He isn't the same monster with me and I know that none of you can deny that." I say  
"My marriage isn't optional." I walk out of the room and make my way to my room, Beetlejuice standing half dressed in my doorway as I approach it.  
"Hey babes, everything alright?" He says gently, placing a hand on my cheek.  
I wrap my arms around him and nod.  
"Yeah, everything is alright now." I say, letting him go and walking past him into my room.  
He shuts the door and comes up to where I sit on the bed, kneeling in front of me.  
"Thank you." He says, causing me to look at him in confusion.  
"For?" I say, pushing him to continue.  
"I know that I'm a difficult person to have around and you have me so whipped" He says.  
"Where is this coming from Beetlejuice, why are you being weird?" I say "is this because of my dad? You don't have to put up an act."   
"That is not at all what this is, I was prepared to die at any point in the last day. I want you to know that I'm not just a monster who goes around marrying any teenage girl."   
"Beetlejuice, I’m eighteen" I say with a smile.  
"I know you are but, doesn’t it bother you?" He says, vaguely.  
“Does what bother me?“ I ask, curious and confused.  
“The age gap between us” I look at him in disbelief.  
“No” I say as he reaches behind his back and pulls out a present wrapped in black and white striped paper, topped with a black bow.  
"What's this?" I ask, taking it from his hand and pulling the bow off.  
"Wedding present" He says with a smirk.  
I unwrap it as carefully as possible and take the lid off of the box.  
I gasp and pull out the spider brooch, I wrap my arms around his neck.  
"I love it!" I exclaim excitedly.  
He smiles at me and laughs slightly, I glance at the clock, it reads: 6:45 am.  
"Breakfast? After I shower?" I say, his hands come up to the top button on my shirt, slowly unbuttoning it.  
"Sounds perfect." He says, I let the shirt fall to the bed, he falls back onto the bed, propping himself up on his elbows.  
I stand up and walk past him into the bathroom, stripping myself of the clothes I still have on.  
"Beetlejuice, you coming?" I call out from inside the shower as water falls onto me.  
"Yeah babes" I hear him call back to me from the room.  
"Beej" I say, opening the shower door as he sits on the counter.  
I grab the loofah and put some body wash on it, lathering it up before running it across my body.  
"What do you want for breakfast? I’ll cook!" He asks as I rinse my body and return the loofah to its rightful place.  
"Hmm, I don’t know about you cooking but, maybe banana pancakes?" I say as I step out of the shower.  
"Coming right up" he says snapping his fingers, not only am I dry but also dressed, I'm wearing a new black lace dress.  
We go downstairs and I sit at the counter as he moves about the kitchen, chaos following him.  
"I didn't know you could cook." I say as he mixes the pancake batter.  
"Oh yeah, I once made nachos with Kathrine Hepburn" he says casually while flipping a pancake.  
I prop my chin up on my hand and observe as he works.  
I hear movement coming up to the doorway of the kitchen then stop.  
"Hey Chuck, want breakfast?" Beetlejuice says stacking pancakes onto a platter.  
"Um, no. I'm good." He says going across the kitchen to make coffee.  
"They aren't poisoned dad" I say, grabbing one and taking a bite "These are actually really good Beej!" I admit in pleasant surprise.  
"Thanks babes!" he says excitedly as he removes the last of the pancakes and snaps his fingers. The unneeded dishes are instantly clean and in their proper places.  
"I have to go into the office today, don't have time.” He says, waiting for the coffee maker to start brewing.  
He grabs a plate and puts a few pancakes onto it, going to the fridge and grabbing chocolate syrup and a can of whipped cream.  
"Tell me when to stop" he says, letting chocolate syrup pour over the pancakes.  
"Stop" he places the syrup on the counter, taking the whipped cream and spraying it onto the stack, he gives me a questioning look as the pancakes become fully covered in the cream.  
"Stop." I say, dipping my finger into the whipped cream and smearing it across his lips, a loud gasp escapes from him.   
He goes to do it back but I get up and walk up to him, I grab his tie and pull him down, I lick some of the cream off before kissing him.  
"Can you two not do that in the kitchen?" My dad says.  
"I'm sorry but, didn't you and Delia make out on the kitchen table the day we moved into this place?" I say.  
"How do you know about that?" He asks me.  
"Being married to Beetlejuice has a lot of perks" I say, moving back to my chair, grabbing my fork and taking a bite of my breakfast.  
"Can we not call it that." He replies, pouring his coffee into a travel mug.  
"Call it what? A marriage? It's an official marriage, completely legit. Why shouldn't we call it what it is? A marriage." I say, Beetlejuice sitting next to me.  
"It isn't right, you're sixteen Lydia!" He says, raising his voice.  
"She's eighteen Chuck" Beetlejuice says.  
My dad gives him a glare and turns to me, my face unamused and angry as I stand and place my now empty plate in the sink.  
"Wow! Way to remember your daughter's age, I'm glad that I have a husband who does.” I say in slight disbelief as I make my way upstairs.


	6. The Cemetery

I grab my journal and write while I wait for Beetlejuice to join me.  
"Hey, brought you coffee." He says, setting it down on the desk next to me, I look up at him and smile.  
"Thank you" I say, taking a sip "it's perfect"   
He kneels next to me, placing an arm around my waist.  
"What did he say after I left?" I ask, drinking the warm beverage as he tells me how dad ran out after I did.  
"Let's go to the cemetery, you can take pictures" He says, I grab my camera, the sun brightly shining through the window making me grab my parasol.   
I step onto the porch and notice Beetlejuice still standing in front of the open front door.  
"What's wrong?" I ask, trying to determine his emotions based on his facial expressions.  
"Say my name" he says softly.  
"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice." I say, he steps out next to me, shutting the door behind him, and grabbing my hand, I give him a look of confusion but brush it off as a topic for another time.  
Beetlejuice holds my parasol for me as we walk, my camera around my neck and hand in his.  
"Beetlejuice" I say, sitting on a bench as we enter the cemetery.  
"Yeah babes?" He says, closing my parasol and setting it across his lap.  
"Thank you for today, I really appreciate it. After everything that has happened with my dad, I don't know if he and I will ever be the same but, I'm glad that I have you here by my side" I say, resting my head on his shoulder, his arm wraps around me and pulls me closer to him.  
"I'm glad you keep me here," he says, I lift my head and look at him.  
"I know that you could have picked anyone you wanted after I said your name but, you stayed." I say, he leans down, our lips touch gently for a moment.  
"There's no one else I would be able to see myself with" he says with a shrug as I pull away.  
I stand up and walk backwards facing him.  
"Stay right there." I say, his leg crossed over the other and his nonchalant posture giving me inspiration.  
I raise my camera and take a picture of him, he moves the parasol to the side and I take another of him without it.   
"Take off the jacket" I say, he snaps it away and I take a picture and another where his expression is amazing, his leg outstretched with the other still crossed over it and his arm resting on it, hand dangling off.  
"Come on, I want to see if there are any bats" I say, he grabs my parasol and follows me.  
He sits on a headstone up ahead and I snap a picture as I walk up to him.  
"Lean against the mausoleum, you are my model today." I say, gesturing to the structure ahead, he follows my direction and I take a picture.  
"How do I look babes?" He says with a smile.  
"You look great!" I say going up to him, he places a hand on the side of my neck and kisses me, flipping us so my back is against the cold marble of the mausoleum.  
"Let's go home bug" I say, pulling away.  
"Bug?" He says with a smile, I nod and give him a smirk as he opens my parasol, holding it over me as we walk hand in hand back to the house.  
As we enter the house he shuts the door behind us, Delia and the Maitland's are sitting on the couch in silence looking at us.  
"Hey, how was your walk?" Delia asks with a smile.  
"Great! I got some really great shots." I say with a smile.  
"That's great! Which reminds me, I have something to show you" she says standing up and going to the basement door, we follow her down the steps and she opens one of the two separate room doors and goes in, I go in after her and see that she has made it a functional darkroom with the correct supplies.  
"I love it! Was this you? Or dad?" I say.  
"It was me but I used your dad's card. Also, Beetlejuice helped me with it." She says, I turn to Beetlejuice.  
"What? When?" I say in confusion, he smiles at me.  
"I'm the ghost with the most babes, a darkroom for the wife is nothing." He says, Delia puts a hand to her heart and smiles softly at us.  
"You know, he's actually really good for you Lydia, he encourages you to be who you want to be and does anything to defend you. And you keep him from killing people so, that's good too" I let go of Beetlejuice's hand and give her a hug.  
"Thank you Delia." I say, pulling away.  
"Of course, happy eighteenth" she says, leaving us alone.  
I start developing the pictures I took immediately, Beetlejuice staying back to not get in my way.  
When the photos are hanging to dry I turn to Beetlejuice and smile.  
"Thank you." I say as we go upstairs.  
He lays down on my bed, back against the headboard, suit jacket discarded, and ankles crossed, I snap a picture.  
"Can you sit by the window?" I ask, in a blink he's sitting at the window, chin propped up by his hand as his elbow is on the windowsill, looking contemplative and knowledgeable.  
I kneel in front of him and aim the camera, the light filtering in making his amber eyes almost glow, I snap a picture as they intensify.  
"Perfect!" I exclaim standing up and going to the door "I'm going to develop these"   
"Okay, I'll be right there." He says, standing up.  
I go back down to the darkroom and develop the photos, looking at the other ones.


End file.
